August doldrums? Consider the magic of why we garden

August in Florida signifies the doldrums of the gardening calendar. The battles with squash bugs have either been won or lost, and there's no sign of fall pests yet.

Contemplating tasks like turning the compost pile and weeding is best done in the cool comfort of air conditioning. It’s not the optimal time to start seeds outdoors or undertake transplanting. This lull in garden chores then prompts the question, “WHY do we garden?"

1. We garden to get outside

Americans spend up to 92% of their time indoors. A substantial portion of the remaining time is occupied in vehicles. The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley has described this trend as escalating since the 1950s due to technological changes and the rapid growth of indoor recreational activities.

These include the emergence of television in the 1960s, the perpetuation of this trend by video games in the 1970s, and its exacerbation by the advent of the internet in the 1990s. References to nature in music, English language fiction, and movie storylines have even shown a decline since the 1950s.

Describing life before Hulu, Minecraft, and fiber optics, Roger Ulrich, PhD, put forth his Stress Reduction Theory in 1991. This theory asserted that physical beings feel a primordial identification with nature, referred to as biophilia. The outdoors is where we feel safest and most free. It’s where our senses are triggered in sometimes surprising ways.

Even our noses can predict the weather. The smell of rain, known as petrichor, serves as a harbinger of changing weather. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines petrichor as the scientific term coined in 1964 to describe the "distinctive, earthy, usually pleasant odor associated with rainfall."

A combination of plant oils and an organic compound called geosmin is released from the soil into the air when raindrops hit the ground. Combined with ozone they are carried by wind, resulting in the unique fragrance of rain. Darkening clouds and the scent of petrichor signal it’s time to pack up the trowel and spade before the downpour arrives.

The sounds of nature provide a pleasing soundtrack to our gardening activities. A 2022 UK study published in Nature magazine found “significantly better” mental well-being for those individuals who saw or heard birds, even incidentally.

A “farmer’s tan” is a hallmark of a gardener. That tan on the back of the neck and lower arms marks another connection with nature. Is it a human take on photosynthesis? Skin exposed to sunlight produces Vitamin D, which is vital for strengthening bones, the immune system, and lowering the risk of some cancers. Just another way getting outdoors and connecting with nature does us good.

2. We garden to take a mental break and blow off steam

Horticulture therapy has its roots as far back as 2000 BCE in Mesopotamia when it was used as a calming practice. In the 1800s, Dr. Benjamin Rush wrote about horticulture as a formal treatment for mental disorders. It remains a part of treatment programs for mental health, addiction, and dementia care to elevate mood, clear the mind, and relieve stress.

Research in 2011 exposed subjects to stress; afterward, half were assigned to read quietly and the other half to garden. Cortisol, a stress hormone, was lower for the gardeners. The gardeners also reported being aware of their positive moods. Only 30 minutes of gardening can lead to cortisol reduction.

Soil microbes are perhaps the Dr. Feelgood of gardening. A UK oncologist, Mary O’Brien, reported in 2004 that she injected her cancer patients with a nonpathogenic soil microbe, Mycobacterium vaccae. Their cancer symptoms decreased, and they had elevated moods and greater cognitive clarity. These same microbes are inhaled and can be absorbed through breaks in the skin while gardening.

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A 2019 ScienceAlert magazine article offered an explanation about these antidepressant “old friends” of ours. The article summarized neuroendocrinologist Christopher Lowry’s 2007 paper, stating, “The idea is that as humans have moved away from farms and an agricultural or hunter-gatherer existence into cities, we have lost contact with organisms that served to regulate our immune system and suppress inappropriate inflammation. This has put us at a higher risk for inflammatory disease and stress-related psychiatric disorders.” (No, not for sale on Amazon just yet, but in 2019, a three-month supply of pharmaceutically prepared Mycobacterium vaccae was sold elsewhere for over $350. That’s NOT dirt cheap).

Whatever the origin, the contentment found in the garden is sweetly reflected in Beatle Paul McCartney’s song, “When I’m 64.” “Doing the garden, digging the weeds, who could ask for more?”

3. We garden to exercise

It's still exercise, even if it doesn't happen in a gym.

Gardening chores, such as turning compost, spreading mulch, and weeding, require physical exertion. The American Heart Association lists gardening as a moderate-intensity aerobic activity, contributing to maintaining a healthy weight and improving overall health. A dose of mood-elevating endorphins and a good night’s sleep are bonuses.

The American Diabetes Association confirmed gardening as a good way to be active, increase fitness levels, and improve diet.

4. We garden to educate and collaborate

“The Garden Song,” a children’s song written by David Mallet and sung by the Muppets proclaims, “Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow.” Gardening with children is a good way to educate them about nature, as well as promote patience, problem-solving, cooperation, and coping with failure.

Want a way to get kids to eat vegetables? Try having them grow their own. Whether at home or at school, gardens are a firsthand look at where food comes from and can change hearts and minds.

Studies have shown that children involved in high-quality garden and nutrition classes consumed up to three times more fruits and vegetables in school lunches and had increased consumption of fruits and vegetables at home. Research also found that 35 to 50 hours of nutrition education changes kids’ emotional connections to food they have spent time and effort learning to grow. With this familiarity and pride, children approach new, healthier foods with more willingness to try eating them.

More good news: A randomized-sample study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics concluded that there is "evidence that school gardens may result in modest improvements in reading levels in school and show enhanced health of the children." Reduced sugar intake and improved overall nutrition likely contributed to students being better able to engage with academic instruction and focus their attention.

Community gardens have similar benefits, such as increased accessibility to fresh produce, knowledge about raising and managing crops, and forming connections among the participants.

Community gardens offer people similar benefits to those that home gardeners experience, including stress management and exercise. Furthermore, converting vacant lots and other bare ground areas into gardens benefits neighborhoods by reducing soil erosion, stormwater runoff, and diverting organic waste from landfills.

5. We garden for the food

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, gardening surged as empty store shelves created uncertainty about the availability of food. Home gardening provided an engaging activity for homebound families, as well as food on the table. Even in more settled times, home and community gardens provide fresh vegetables amid urban food deserts where grocery stores are few and far between. Rising prices challenge many grocery store shoppers.

In her blog, "GardenBetty," Linda Ly cites several research-backed reasons to grow your own food. Once a garden is established, growing one's own food can be cheaper, especially if you grow crops that can be harvested more than once – the "cut and come again" crops, e.g., lettuce, beans, squash, tomatoes, etc. It's hard to find food fresher than 20 minutes from the garden onto your plate.

Let's not forget about TASTE. Some say homegrown food tastes like no other. People of a certain age can hear John Denver singing Guy Clark's composition, "Homegrown tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes. What would life be without homegrown tomatoes?" Only two things that money can't buy, and that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."

Heirloom variety tomatoes are usually more flavorful than commercially grown tomatoes that may have been selected for uniform appearance, ease in shipping, etc. If avoiding pesticides is a priority, home gardeners have greater control over their pesticide exposure.

And let's not forget ornamentals. The beauty of blooming flowers and airborne sweet scents is food for the soul, according to Rutgers psychology professor Jeannette Haviland-Jones, PhD. She and her team found that flowers have an immediate impact on happiness as well as long-term positive effects on moods, fostering deeper emotional connections.

6. We garden to celebrate and preserve life

Ask most any gardener about their elation when seeds germinate, flowers bud, and fruits and vegetables ripen. Witnessing these processes becomes a celebration of life.

Whether rooted in the nostalgia of our childhoods or born of observation and study, a gardener's little patch of the planet can grow into something larger. Exercising caution in the use of pesticides, providing food and safe spaces for insect pollinators, creating nesting sites, ensuring water sources for birds, and other similar actions collectively contribute to the protection of ecosystems.

Research suggests that this stewardship expands to include advocacy for eco-friendly energy sources, proper management of hazardous wastes and fertilizers, and climate-change mitigation. Such green advocacy is hidden in plain sight. A 2016 study published in Landscape and Urban Planning concluded that a vegetable garden compost pile diverts food waste away from a landfill where it would otherwise create greenhouse gases. Greenhouse emissions are also reduced by an average of two pounds for each pound of homegrown vegetables by reducing travel associated with store-bought food.

Skeptics will argue that these small-scale actions can't possibly save endangered species or halt the climate crisis. Maybe so, but they CAN make a difference in our lives and those of the plants and animals in our yards. Furthermore, if enough gardeners adopt such practices, in aggregate, they can make a difference. In fact, this is the treatise of Doug Tallamy's 2020 book, "Nature's Best Hope." It brings to mind Margaret Mead's quote, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Why do you garden?

Science provides us with these reasons for why we garden – to reconnect with and celebrate nature, for our mental, emotional, and physical health, for our families and communities, for our flora and fauna brethren, and for our planet.

Why do YOU garden? We would like to hear from you about these and other reasons for gardening. Share your thoughts on the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension Facebook page.

Mary Janik is a Master Gardener Volunteer with UF/IFAS Leon County Extension, an Equal Opportunity Institution. For gardening questions, email AskAMasterGardener@ifas.ufl.edu.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Natural attraction: Consider magical reasons why we garden